Where I Go Out

"I tried this restaurant for the first time just after opening Nora Gray, and it was the first night I had taken away from the restaurant. I went alone and sat at the bar and had an unbelievable meal. My favourite dish that evening—and I've returned many times for it since—was a braised veal cheek cavatelli with foie gras torchon shaved on top. What a delight!"

"Mandy's is a simple, salad bar-type lunch spot that’s the only restaurant of its kind in the city. All they serve is salad, which I have to force myself to eat, because as you can tell from my list, I like pretty rich and decadent fare! You can choose from their list of salads or build your own. I go at least once a week—sometimes twice—and almost always order The "Fave." This salad has arugula, broccoli, corn, grated carrots, pita chips, cheddar cheese, and a honey-mustard dressing."

"In my opinion, the best time to go to Joe Beef is in the late spring. The seafood in Quebec is at its peak and the first of Fred's vegetables are coming out of his garden. Having been an employee of Fred and Dave's, my experience there is always first-rate. It's like returning to visit family. I've never eaten the same thing twice. During the spring, I insist on having a seafood platter and a few of the many vegetable-forward appetizers available, like the grand aioli!"

"My mother brought me to L'Express for the first time when I was 16. A friend of hers from Boston had read about it in The New York Times and asked my mother to try it out. Well, I had a dish that day that I have ordered almost every time I've returned since: the ravioli. It is a very simple, French-style pasta stuffed with ground veal and calf's brains with a sauce of veal jus reduction and thinly sliced button mushrooms. It is delicate and the portion size is perfect!"

"Satay Brothers is a small kind of pop-up-style restaurant. They have a stall at the Atwater Market in the summer, but for the first time this winter, they had a small locale on St. Jacques west of Atwater. I always pick up food for these guys on my way to work for lunch after a market run. I can't resist ordering a pork belly steamed bun or two every time, but their spicy prawn and chicken laksa is what gets me through the afternoon!"